Little Green Riding Hood
by Mage of Hope
Summary: "...I have to sleep on the floor, don't I?" "Damn right you do." What if Alvin had a companion with him during his travels? Join Fir as she travels with a flirtatious and annoying mercenary, a naive, know-it-all honors student, the Lord of Spirits, a shy spirit arte master who always carries a talking doll, an energetic teen, and an old rapier master. Fatherly/brotherly Alvin!
1. Prologue

**Hey! I got this idea from Sinon from SAO II, and I gotta say, she's my favorite character! Anyways, I always wondered what it would be like if Alvin had a companion since he's so lonely, so here she is!**

**Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Tales of Xillia, only the OCs! **

* * *

><p>"*cough* *cough* Thank you, Fir," coughed an elderly old man with glasses, sitting up on his bed that early afternoon. He had finished taking the medicine his young granddaughter, Fir, had given him, and was about to take one of his daily naps.<p>

"You're welcome, Grandpa," replied the small, 8-year old girl, putting away the dishes her grandfather had eaten. The girl happened to have light brown hair tied in a low ponytail, icy blue eyes, wore a red shirt with a sandy-colored jacket, a long, sandy-colored skirt, white leggings, and black shoes. As soon as she was finished, she walked towards the kitchen, dumped the dishes into the sink, and ran towards her grandfather's side. "Hey, Grandpa? Can I go out into the forest and go out playing while you're sleeping? I won't go out very far!"

Fir's Grandfather simply chuckled before coughing a little. "Alright, you may go out, but be back before dark. Also, could you go fill the water tank? It's almost empty, and bring Sandy with you. And bring only some of your equipment with you. We still need them for practice, remember?"

"Alright, sir! Thanks!" The young girl rushed to get prepared as she ran out of her grandfather's room in a flash. A few minutes later, she knocked on her grandfather's bedroom door before entering, fully equipped with a belt holding her guns and some of her cartridges while holding two empty pail buckets. "Grandpa, I'm going! Bye!"

The elderly man gave a small grunt in response before Fir exited out of the cabin she and her grandfather have been living in. Fir's Grandfather sighed and shook his head. "Knowing her, she'll probably arrive late. Oh well, I suppose I'll prepare dinner after...my...nap...zzzzzzzz..."

"Sandy, go forward!" commanded Fir, getting on top of her Grandfather's horse using a stool. The horse neighed before trotting forward, Fir using the reins to guide him as she held on tight. She had been taught horseback riding from her Grandfather and was about an average level learner, but not only that, but she was taught in combat as well, so she could fend off weaker monsters.

Fir has been living with her Grandfather in a medium-sized cabin in a forest for about 3 years since she had no other family to turn to. In fact, she was really happy to live with her Grandfather, who was once a military soldier and now retired, and she was taught how to fight to protect herself. Her Grandfather homeschooled her, not just teach her how to fight or horseride, but also to cook and clean and other chores.

Soon, Sandy stopped on top of a grassy hill, below consisting of a overflowing, clear stream with a small waterfall. However, Fir noticed a stranger, someone she was really unfamiliar with, kneeling down to the stream, cupping his hands together to scoop up some of the fresh water before drinking it. He continued this process over and over for a bit as Fir watched with a bit of unease and curiosity.

Sandy let out a snort, surprising Fir who didn't want to been seen by this man. "Hey, Sandy!" hissed Fir, accidentally dropping her pail buckets. The pail buckets made a sort of clanking sound as they tumbled down the hill and lightly hit near the man's feet, causing him to stop drinking and glance behind his shoulder as water dripped from his chin.

Fir grimaced when she saw the man glance at her before taking a good look at the older adult. He had spiky brown hair, fairly young and attractive male features, wore some sort of brown coat, a black scarf wrapped around his neck, and he looked about in his early 20's, probably 22.

The man was simply enjoying a cool drink from the stream when he felt something hit his feet. He had turned his head to see some buckets landed near his feet, and saw a young girl with a horse on top of a grassy hill.

"Uh..." Fir had no idea what to say to this stranger. Should she apologize? Should she say hello? The only people she talked to besides her Grandfather was other shop keepers whenever she and Grandfather entered a town to buy supplies and food. "H-hi there..."

The man stood up, wiping the dripping water from his mouth away with his coat sleeve. "Oh, hey. You around here or something?"

If there was one thing her Grandfather taught her while being in the wilderness, it's to not trust strangers immediantly and not bring them into the cabin without his permission, so Fir knew how to be very careful. "I'm...just here to collect water, that's all."

"What's a young little lady like you doing here? It's dangerous in the forest, where there are nasty, little critters that could eat you up," teased the man a bit. Fir rolled her eyes in annoyance, seeing full well he was one of those adults that like to challenge and scare little kids like her. "Hey! That was kinda rude!" he pouted.

Fir sighed before steeping down the hill and arriving right next to the man. As soon as she did, she bent down, took one of the pail buckets she dropped, and began to scoop up some amounts of the clear water right into the bucket.

"So...what's your name?" asked the man, watching her stand up and carry the heavy bucket up to the top of the hill so she could place it next to her horse. He picked up her second empty bucket and placed it next to her.

"Thank you," she murmured as she pulled out a washcloth from her bag and drowned it in the collected water before wringing the water out and rubbing and washing her horse with the wet cloth.

"Nice horse," commented the man, petting him on the head. "She got a name?"

"I know what you're thinking, and don't even think twice about stealing him," warned Fir, continuing to wash her horse.

"Yikes! A bit of an attitude for a little miss, eh? Don't worry, I don't even want the horse. They're too much to take care of. Oh, guess I haven't introduced myself yet. I'm Alvin, aka the mercenary with a heart of gold!"

Fir paused to glance at the older man. She was taught proper manners by her Grandfather, and if someone introduced themselves first, then she had to too in response. "I'm...Fir. Nice to meet you."

"Fur? That's a weird name."

"F-I-R. It's meaning is to a pine family, like a pine tree."

"Huh, interesting. You live around here or something?"

Fir scoffed a little. "No, and even if I did, I wouldn't tell you."

"Ouch! What did I do to deserve this sort of degree?"

The smaller girl sighed, looking apologetic. "I'm sorry, I don't want to be rude to people, but I can't exactly trust strangers I meet."

"Ah, I see!" said Alvin, realizing her problem after snapping his fingers. "You're told not to trust strangers, huh? It's fine, I get it." Seeing Fir jump up and down, trying to wash the horse's upper back despite her small height and failing efforts of doing so, he offered, "Hey, mind if I help?" Gently grasping her waist, Alvin hoisted her up in the air so she could wash the horse's back.

Fir's eyes widen in fear at the touch, her breath shortening, sweat trailing down her forehead. "NO!" she cried out, trying to wiggle out of his grip and getting away. "PUT ME DOWN! PUT ME DOWN!"

Startled, Alvin quickly put her down as he was told to do and tried to calm down the girl, who began to cry and sniffle. "H-hey! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to make you upset!" The mercenary sighed and pinched his nose, closing his eyes. He hated making little kids, especially girls, cry, then he remembered he had some candy, so he fetched some out of his pocket. "Uh...here's some candy?"

Fir sniffed and began wiping her tears away, her red face and dry tear trails still showing evidence she had been crying. "W-what?"

"I...thought you might like some candy? They're cherry-flavored," said Alvin, offering them once again. Fir nodded and took one from his hand before unwrapping it and popping it into her mouth, tasting the sweet, savory taste of the candy. Alvin handed her his handkerchief for her to wipe away her tears.

"T-thank you..." Fir began to wipe away her tears as she sighed, sitting down on the grass on the green hill.

Deciding to join her, Alvin laid back against the hill, using his arms as some sort of pillow to relax and look up at the clouds in the blue sky. "Say, what happened back there? Did I scare you?"

"Well..." Fir brought her knees closer to her chest, shyly hiding her face. "I have this...trauma of men touching me, but it's kinda hard to explain. But I'm slowly getting over this trauma."

"I see, sorry." He sat up and began to ruffle her head, messing up her hair. "But hey, at least I'm not a bad-huh?" He noticed that Fir was slightly trembling at his touch and pulled back. "Oh, I didn't-"

"No, wait. It's fine. I was just scared for a moment."

Suddenly, Alvin's stomach began to grumble loudly, causing him to instinctively grasp at his hungry stomach. "Man, I'm starving! Well, might as well go hunt for some monster meat." When he heard Fir's stomach growl as well, he gave a heartful laugh. "Looks like the little miss is starving too!"

Fir stood up and turned to Alvin, who was still laying down. "If you want, I can go and fish for the two of us. My Grandpa taught me how to fish, and he's the master of fishing!"

"Hmm. Alright, but I'll help you out," said Alvin, standing up and fetching some of his own fishing equipment.

"No way! Knowing you, you'll take way too long. Don't worry, I'm a trainee professional, but you? You're...probably middle-aged and rusty."

Alvin felt a tick mark emerging in his forehead as he tried to control his temper in front of a little girl. "Middle-aged? Rusty? I'll have you know, I'm 22!"

"That makes you even older than me! Oh well, can't be helped then," said Fir, getting her own fishing equipment from the sack that Sandy was carrying before heading down the stream and arranging everything.

"Oh ho! Challenging me, huh? Fine, even if you're a kid, I won't go easy on you!" declared Alvin, running down the hill and getting ready to fish. For the next couple of minutes, both of them concentrated on trying to catch the fish, waiting for the tiny creatures to take the bait.

Suddenly, Fir's rod jerked forward swiftly, causing her to hold onto it tightly as she struggled to get the fish onto shore. "Come on...!" she grunted, tugging on the rod as hard as possible. Finally, a large fish sprang from the stream and crashed onto land, squirming around as it tried to breath for the water. "Hey! I got a big one!"

Alvin groaned, dropping his head in disappointment and slight agony. "I don't believe it...my manly pride run over by a kid..."

Fir walked over to the man and patted him on the back. "Cheer up, Alvin! If you want, I can go and cut this in half so we can share it!"

"Yeah but..." Alvin glanced at his fishing rod and sighed in defeat. "I don't understand what I did wrong."

Curious, the little 8-year old began pulling the fishing rod line towards her until she saw the end of it, which was attaching a large hunk of monster meat that wasn't edible to humans. "Who uses monster meat as bait? That's just pretty stupid."

"It worked! ...Once!"

Fir rolled her eyes. "Alright, I'm going to cook this. Meanwhile, you go and...make a fire and fetch water from the pail buckets for me, okay?"

"Wait, why do I have to?"

"Because, you're the loser, and winners always tell the loser what to do!"

"We didn't establish that rule!" complained Alvin.

"Er...we just did!"

"That's no fair!"

Fir was about to argue more, but had an even better idea. "Oh wait, I change my mind! You don't have to do it! In fact, you can wait and take a rest while I go do everything! Boasting about getting a fish is reward enough!"

Alvin got a little suspicious, but hey, a little nap couldn't hurt. "Alright then." Climbing up the steep hill, Alvin turned and laid flat on his back like before before closing his eyes and falling to sleep.

After the mercenary fell asleep, Fir giggled to herself before taking out a black marker and trying to sneak up on Alvin. Once she got close, she began to doodle all over his face until she was fully satisfied and began skipping back down to the stream and preparing to cook lunch,

_'Ha, take that, Alvin,' _thought Fir happily, her revenge completed.

About half an hour later, Alvin woke up when the scent of fresh fish filled his nostrils and his stomach started grumbling more for food. He got up and saw Fir frying the large piece in a frying pan she had brought with her on her little trip, frying it above some fire to help cook the salty fish.

Fir noticed Alvin as she began to cut up the fish and take out the bones. "Oh! Alvin! You're finally awake! I was about to wake you up. Here."

While the two of them ate, Alvin couldn't help but noticed Fir giggling at Alvin overtime, and whenever she found out he was glancing at her, Fir stopped giggling and continued eating. "Hey, Alfin?" asked Fir, speaking while eating.

"Hey, didn't anyone teach you not to speak with your mouth open?" scolded Alvin a little, poking her in the cheek.

As soon as Fir gulped down her food, she stuck her tongue out at Alvin. "Whatever! Anyways, are you a traveler? Because you look like one."

"Well, you're kinda right, little missie. I'm also a mercenary, and not just any mercenary, a mercenary with a heart of gold!"

"Huh...I heard from story books and rumors that mercenaries are supposed to be all gruff and, pretty much selfish," admitted Fir.

"Well, there are some mercenaries like that, but I ain't one of them."

"What sort of hard monsters have you come across?"

"What's with all the questions? Surely a girl your age would talk more about girly things?" wondered Alvin.

"I'm not like most girls. I don't like girly stuff like skirts or dresses or perfume or anything like that."

"But you're wearing a skirt now!"

"With leggings! Anyways, I wanna try traveling around the world when I grow older, so that's why I'm asking!"

"Yeah? Well, I'm more of a pro at mercenary work than traveling," replied the older man, running a hand over his hair. "So...yeah, not much help there."

"Aww! Too bad!"

For the next few hours, they began to talk about other topics and things, sitting down and enjoying each other's company. Alvin began to tell a few tales of his adventures, and Fir, in return, told some stories of her and her Grandpa.

When it was about sunset, Fir knew she had to get back home, so she started gathering all her stuff and walking up the grassy hill, where her horse, Sandy, was laying down and eating the grass. She turned back and waved at Alvin, who waved back.

"Bye, Alvin! By the way, before you go, you should definitely check yourself out in the water! Especially your face!" encouraged Fir before hopping onto Sandy's back and holding onto the reins. As soon as he felt Fir on his back, Sandy stood up on all fours and began to trot away.

Confused, Alvin turned to the stream and peered at his reflection, and it didn't take long for him to realize what was up.

"HEY!"

As Fir was riding away with Sandy, she couldn't help but hear Alvin's cry, causing her to giggle mischeviously. "Even though I might never see him again, it was sure fun!"

However, unknown to them, fate decided they would intertwine very soon.

* * *

><p><strong>I hope that was a good start. I tried to be as descriptive as possible and tried not to use the same words over and over. It's not much of an introduction, but it's a good start, I think. Read and review!<strong>


	2. Last Friend

**That last chapter happened to be the prologue of the story, so yeah. I'll explain what's going on during the chapter, so you'll understand. All you have to do is read carefully!**

**Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Tales of Xillia, only the OCs!**

* * *

><p><em>2 years later...<em>

"Neigh! Neigh!" Sounds of clinking and clattering echoed throughout the earth as a sand-colored horse rushed past trees at a rushing speed, being chased by a big-nosed, dark-colored boar. Apparently, the horse must have aggitated the boar somehow, thus resulting in a chase.

Eventually, the boar had the horse cornered between a few forest trees and a rocky wall, trapping it as it was preparing to charge towards the horse. Instead of being frightful like any other animal, the horse stood its ground, a look of bravery in its eyes.

Suddenly, a figure in a green cloak swept past the bushes, taking out a dagger before swiftly slicing the boar's throat with one slash, standing over it as it fell to the ground, dead. The horse let out a neigh, as if sighing, before trotting towards the mysterious figure, rubbing its head against the figure's shoulder.

The figure gently ruffled the hairs of the horse, taking off the green hoodie while doing so. Behind the hood happened to be a young little girl with tomboyish, short light brown hair, ice-blue eyes, and looked about 10 years old. Her entire attire underneath the long, forest green cloak, consisted of a desert-colored jacket over a dark shirt with a light silver breastplate attaching, along with desert-colored jeans that reached down her thighs, and brown light combat boots. A belt was wrapped around her waist for storage of items and cartridges along with a gun holster holding her gun. Something long, but not too big, was attached to her back, but it was all wrapped up in bandages so no one could figure out what it was.

"Sorry, Sandy. That was the third time this week you got chased by a monster," the girl apologized. The horse shook his head, as if assuring the girl he was alright, and nudged his head against her head gently.

The girl's name was Fir, just Fir. No last name or anything of the sort. Ever since her grandfather, her only family in this world, died from old age, Fir had started traveling around as a newbie mercenary with her horse companion, Sandy, which had been about 6 months ago.

During their travels, there was all sorts of challenges and troubles in their way, as expected for a beginner traveler. However, with Fir's survival skills along with her being a capable fighter, she and Sandy were able to make it this far.

However, Sandy was a very good target for monsters since he was big and strong for prey. While he may have recovered from injuries due to Fir's few healing artes, he was still in danger of being killed. Luckily, Fir was always there to protect him and attacked any monsters in their way.

While Fir may still be experiencing new things as a mercenary, she still had trouble around the world. For starters, which strangers to trust or not, since there were a lot of shady and bad people, even if they act nice. Second was the number of monsters she had to face alone. Since she is a lone mercenary, she had to deal battles on her own, especially against those that outnumbered her. There was a number of problems she had, but it was to be expected in reality.

However, as a mercenary, she never took jobs that required assassination, unlike other heartless, greedy, and selfish mercenaries. And, not once has she stepped foot in a pub or bar, even an inn who had either one. She stayed away from those kinds and focused only on simple jobs or at the very least, eliminating monsters due to the job descriptions.

Preparing for lunch, Fir took out the supplies neccessary to cook the boar. After starting a small fire, she cut the boar to pieces before sticking them into pointy sticks and hanging them over the fire to heat up the meat.

Laying against a cool rock, Fir opened up her map of the forest she was in, taking in the surroundings so she could figure out where she was. Soon, she discovered she was near Sharilton, not too far from her current position. Putting away the map, Fir took one of the sticks containing the fresh meat and began eating it hungrily.

Still eating the piece of meat, Fir stood up and walked over to Sandy, who was laying on his side against some bushes. She bent down, and shuffed her free hand inside one of the bags that Sandy had to carry as luggage.

Gulping down her meat, Fir tossed away her burned stick and opened a container of oats before placing it in front of Sandy. "Here. Sorry, I nearly forgot to feed you, boy." Mouth drooling with hunger, Sandy began eating his oats like a dog who hasn't eaten in days.

After finishing lunch, it didn't take long for Fir to clean up her small campsite and bury the remainers of the cooked boar for a small grave. Every time she would hunt for animals and afterwards, eat them, she would pray for their eternal peace, because that was her way of saying sorry for eating animals. It wasn't much, but it seemed enough for everyone.

"AAAAAHHHH!"

"!" Letting out a small gasp, Fir glanced around, alarmed by the feminine scream. "What was that?!" She had heard the scream coming a little to the north, but not too far, so she turned to Sandy and ordered, "Sandy! Follow me!"

Also alerted by the scream, but willing to follow his owner's orders, Sandy gave a swift nod before following her, trotting behind her.

Eventually, both of them stopped and hide behind a tree, watching a young, beautiful girl trying to defend herself with a plain sword. She was currently facing two dog-like monsters on her own, with two other bird monsters were soaring high above her, ready to take her down anytime. It seemed the girl was having a very difficult time trying to fight them off.

Not wasting any time, Fir turned to her horse while grabbing onto one of the branches of the tree. "Sandy, I want you to go to the girl's side and protect her. I'll provide support. Can you do it?" Not hesitating, Sandy nodded his head, and Fir responded with a nod of her own before proceeding to climb up the tree.

Once she reached the top of the tree, which took about a few seconds given how the tree wasn't that tall, Fir took out the bandaged weapon that was attached to her back and began unraveling the bandages, revealing the weapon to be a sniper rifle.

Taking position, Fir bent on one knee, closed one eye, and looked into the scope that was attached to the sniper rifle, staring at the two monsters that the girl was facing. She was planning to take aim and fire at one of them, but remembered that she had to take out the bird monsters first.

If Fir took out the ground monsters first, the bird monsters wouldn't hesitate to swoop down and attack both Sandy and the girl. Bird monsters could move very fast, and they would be a little difficult for Fir to take aim at, but not now, since they were perfectly in position, not moving from their spot in the skies.

Placing her trigger finger on the trigger, she narrowed her eyes and got ready to fire in three...two...one...

**BANG! **In an instant, blood spewed out of one of the bird monsters' skulls, making it drop dead to the ground. The monsters, including the other bird monster who had just lost its partner, along with the girl, were taken aback by the sudden gunshot sound that they forgot what they were doing.

Taking that noise as the signal, the loyal horse ran up to the girl, who had managed to slice a part of one of the monsters. Sandy stood in front of her, making the ground monsters back away a little as they met his determined gaze.

"A horse?" pondered the girl, still shaken up by the gunshot. Regaining composure, both the ground monsters prepared to attack. One of them fired some sort of lightning blast at Sandy, who screeched in pain, but held his ground. The other monster simply charged at Sandy and knocked him to the ground with a tackle.

_'Sandy!' _thought Fir as she quickly took the empty shell out of her sniper rifle. Grunting, she quickly took aim at the other bird monster and fired, not bothering to watch it fall dead as she focused on the other last two monsters.

**BANG! **Her bullet managed to hit one of the other last monsters, but it didn't do much because its hardened body deflected much of the bullet. Realizing she needed a stronger bullet, she began to channel wind spirits for her bullets, since her sniper rifle could channel wind or thunder spirits and turn them into bullets of wind or lightning.

Meanwhile, the girl that was previous in trouble rushed towards the fallen Sandy, swinging her sword to make the other monsters back away. Once at the injured horse's side, she bent down and started gathering water spirits so she could perform healing artes on the horse, though not letting her guard down since there were still two monsters around.

One of the monsters grew impatient and pounced into the air, opening its jaws. Big mistake.

**BANG! **Eyes widening, Fir immediantly pulled the trigger, the bullet filled with channeled wind spirits heading straight for the monster's mouth and killing it in the inside, ripping a hole in its throat. The young girl learned that killing monsters in that way was more effective than shooting them in the head.

The girl that was healing Sandy's wounds was shaken up, but continued her concentration on healing the horse. When she glanced up for a moment, her eyes widen at the fact that the last monster was heading straight for her. She closed her eyes, hoping to endure the pain.

Instead, the trees gave a rustle, before Fir emerged and landed on the ground, wielding her dagger. Her sniper rifle, which was placed badly on the tree branch she was previous in, tipped over and fell to the ground, but she paid no heed to it as she charged towards the monster.

The monster answered her charge with a charge of its own, letting out a roar as it headed for its target. However, when they began to approach closer and closer, Fir lifted her leg upwards at the right timing, hitting the small monster in the face and making it fall to its back. Seeing it vulnerable, Fir quickly stabbed it directly in the heart, hearing a final squeal before pulling her weapon out and swinging it once to get the blood out.

Placing her weapon away, Fir approached the girl healing Sandy before bending down and assisting her in healing as well. "...Are you alright?" she asked the girl.

"Y-yes! I'm alright! Were you the one that killed those monsters?" asked the girl, not losing her concentration on the horse.

"Yes. Thank you for taking care of my horse. My name is Fir. May I ask your name?"

"Of course! My name's Driselle, and thank you for saving me-!"

"Your healing artes are fading away."

'O-oh! Sorry!"

"Let's talk more after healing my horse."

* * *

><p><em>A little later... <em>

"...And that should do it!" Driselle sighed, wiping the sweat off her forehead. "We may have sealed off most of the wounds and stopped the bleeding, but your horse needs to see a doctor right away."

"I see. Thank you." Getting up, Fir walked over to where her sniper rifle had fallen, then began to cover it up with bandages since she's no longer using it at the moment.

"Um...may I ask what sort of weapon that is?" spoke up Driselle, walking up to Fir and peeking at the strange, mysterious weapon Fir had.

"...To be honest, I don't know," admitted the younger girl, now strapping the bandaged sniper rifle to her back. "I don't know what sort of weapon this is or the name, but if I had to wager a guess, I'd say it's some sort of gun. Either way, I'm the only person who can wield it."

"Oh, ok then. Um...I don't mean to be rude, but, are you a boy or a girl? Because I can't tell if you are under that hood."

"...Alright then." Fir took off her hoodie with ease, surprising Driselle at her very young appearance. The older teenager wasn't surprised that she was a girl, more like she was shocked at how young she was.

"Oh my goodness! Pardon me, but you look like a child!"

"Yeah, I get that a lot. Don't worry about me, though. Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm alright, thank you."

Then, Driselle noticed Sandy getting up, but his injuries were slowing him down, making him let out small sounds of pain. "Hey! You shouldn't be moving around so fast!" Quickly, Driselle rushed towards the horse's side, trying to steady him in case he would fall.

"Sandy, don't move around too fast. You'll just reopen your wounds," ordered Fir firmly, though really worried for her horse. "Driselle, how well can you fight?"

"I know only a bit of swordsplay, but that's it. My sword skills are...below average." Driselle's confidence immediantly dropped, and she slumped her shoulders in disappointment.

"Then why were you out in the woods? There are lots of dangerous monsters here, and you're clearly inexperienced in battle!" scolded Fir, rubbing her temples. "Are you some idiot or something?"

"I know, I know," sighed Driselle, knowing full well she deserved every word Fir said. "But I went to the woods to gather some blue roses that were deep in the forest."

"Why couldn't you go buy some in Sharilton? Do you live there? Because I was heading there now."

"Because blue roses are extremely rare and only exist in the forest we're in. I wanted to get some for my brother, and I wanted to get strong on my own, so I kinda took a sword and left."

"...You know, I've met a lot of idiots, but you have got to be the biggest idiot of-actually, the second idiot. The first happened to be some old man with bad directions," muttered Fir, crossing her arms.

Driselle pouted. "Hey! That's rude! But, you're right. I'm sorry."

Fir sighed, rubbing her head. "It's fine, but you should apologize to your parents and brother when you get back home. The least I can do is escort you back home, and then I'll find a doctor for Sandy."

"Yes, you're right."

"Hold on." Fir clasped a hand on Driselle's shoulder and handed her a gun.

Feeling the cool metal weapon in her hands, Driselle couldn't help but shudder at the feeling of holding such a small, but powerful weapon. She has heard of guns before, and how they shoot tiny, but deadly bullets, but this is the first she's seen one. She's also pretty sure the long, bandaged weapon Fir had wasn't exactly a gun either.

"Why are you giving me this?" asked Driselle, puzzled, yet slightly frightened.

"It's only temporary. When we get back to town, just return it to me," said Fir. "Anyways, it's a gun. I'm going to show you how to shoot one so you can properly defend yourself. First, you have to take off the safety trigger like this."

_Click. _Taking off the safety trigger, it make a small clicking sound. "Next, hold the gun steady." Lifting up Driselle's arm and getting her hands into position, Fir then pointed to an apple that was hanging off a tree branch. "See that apple? Just take a deep breath..."

"Okay." Taking a deep breath, Driselle let it all out, relaxing her shoulders. "Now what?"

**BANG! **Without warning, Driselle, who was curious, decided to pull the trigger, startling both her and Fir. Luckily, she didn't aim at either of them and just let the stray bullet fly away where it could never be found.

"What are you doing?!' Quickly, Fir snatched the gun away from her and clicked the safety trigger back on before placing the gun back to her holster.

"W-what was that?!" questioned Driselle, still startled by the loud gunshot.

"You just pulled the trigger! What were you thinking?!"

"I-I'm sorry?"

Fir sighed. "No, it's my fault. I was the one who suggested you handle the gun. Here, you can use this, right?" Taking her dagger out of the scabberd, she handed the weapon to Driselle, who held it with cherished hands.

"Yes, I suppose so."

"Alright, here's the plan," Fir started to explain. "You and I will help Sandy, my horse, walk through the forest, and if there's a monster, you stand back and I'll take care of it. Understood?"

"Got it." Driselle nodded and, together with Fir, helped Sandy get to his feet and keep him steady as they tried walking with him. Just like Fir said, as monsters approached them, Fir would fight them, but it was a little bit difficult considering how she had to fight and protect both Driselle and Sandy at the same time.

* * *

><p><em>Later, in Sharilton... <em>

Once arriving at Sharilton, the first thing Fir and Driselle did was to search for a vet and a doctor. Almost immediantly after seeing the near-dead horse, the doctors took Sandy away and were currently healing his wounds after making both girls wait in the waiting room.

"Driselle!" Looking up, both Fir and Driselle saw a handsome, young man with an old man with a beard rushing towards them.

"Cline! Rowen!" Gasping, Driselle stood up from her seat and embraced both of them tightly, tears of joy falling down her cheeks. Fir had no idea what was going on, but decided not to intrude and instead see what was going on.

"Lady Driselle! Lord Cline and I have been looking for you everywhere!" cried out Rowen.

"We searched for you for hours, then some people said that you were seen with someone dragging some injured horse to the doctors!" explained Cline, relief shown in his face.

"I-I'm sorry. I was in the woods, trying to find a blue rose for you, Cline. I mean, I know the woods are dangerous, but I just wanted to cheer you up with one of your favorite flowers. I even took a sword with me."

"Even so, that was very dangerous," scolded Cline lightly. "What if you were hurt? Or worse?"

"I understand. It won't happen again. But, my friend here, Fir, she saved me in the woods and escorted me back, but her horse got injured in the process." Driselle addressed to Fir, who was still sitting politely in her chair.

Fir heard her name being mentioned and glanced up for a moment before looking down. She really didn't want to be involved in any parental situations or anything that would attract attention.

Cline walked up to Fir and faced her. "I'm Cline Sharil, Driselle's older brother and governor of Sharilton. I heard you saved her life and escorted her back here. For that, I thank you."

With that said, he offered his hand as a sign of a handshake, but Fir simply stared at it, not having any movement or thought of even shaking it.

"Sorry, but I don't shake hands with strangers I don't trust," was what Fir said before turning her head away.

"Fir!" exclaimed Driselle, surprised by her response.

However, Cline only chuckled, putting his hand away. "No, it's perfectly fine. You are right though, Fir, was it?"

"Yes, that is my name."

"Well, thank you for helping my little sister anyways. As a sign of my gratitude, I'll pay the medical bill for your horse."

That caught Fir's attention. "Are you sure? You don't have to. I have enough mon-"

"No, no. It's alright. It's the least I can do."

The young girl in the green cloak nodded. "If you insist, then thank you. But, that doesn't mean I still trust you."

"Hey, why do you still don't trust my brother?" asked Driselle, confused.

"Mainly because people may seem nice at first, but you don't know for sure if they're nice," explained Fir, crossing her arms. "To be honest, I don't completely trust you, Driselle, but at least I trust you more than your brother or the old man here."

"Ahem! I may be old, but that's still insulting," spoke up Rowen.

"I'm sorry, but it's the truth," replied Fir before turning back to Driselle. "Do you get it? Don't underestimate things you think are easy. For example, you thought you might be safe in the woods while carrying a sword when you clearly didn't know how to use one. Understand?"

Driselle nodded. "But, you're young, and you managed to kill those monsters with ease."

"That's because my old man taught me how to hunt and kill monsters when I was 5. That was 5 years ago."

"Wait, that means you're 10, then! You're like, 4 years younger than me!" exclaimed Driselle.

"So? Lots of young people like me have a lot of potential, despite their ages, and I've never had a problem with that," replied Fir, shrugging her shoulders as if that was a normal thing.

Then, an exhausted doctor stepped out of the operating room, bringing everyone's attention. "How is the horse, doctor?" asked Driselle, concerned.

"He's fine, and we're transporting him to some horse stables right now so he might get some rest," revealed the doctor. "Unfortunately, his wound is grave, and left some scars behind. He'll live, and he can still stand up and walk around, but he'll never be able to run as fast as before again."

"...May I go visit him now?" requested Fir, her voice almost as soft as a whisper.

The doctor nodded. "You may. Just go down the hall, then to the right, which will lead you to the stables."

"I got it. Thanks." Fir turned to Driselle and her two other companions. "Sorry, but I need to be alone now. You can go home or whatever if you want." Not waiting for their replies, Fir ran down the hallway, following the instructions the doctor told her.

"...Driselle, go to her," said Cline, turning to his little sister.

"What? But, she said-"

"I know. But a time like this, friends are neccessary to be with each other. She looks like she could use some support, even if she said she wanted to be alone. Go, you can still catch up to your friend."

Understanding the deep meaning of his words, Driselle was full of determination now before running after Fir, who was almost near the stables.

Arrivng at the stables, Fir saw various horses either sleeping or eating their meals. She went through each horse until she found the only sand-colored horse in the stables.

Sandy.

When she saw him, Fir gasped lightly, seeing the large scars and stiches on his side and how Sandy seemed to still winch in pain from them, even though he was given proper treatment.

"...Sandy, I'm sorry for getting you involved in that situation in the forest. If I had been faster at killing those monsters, or if I had changed our strategy, you wouldn;t be in this mess," apologized Fir sincerely. "...No one is to blame. Not you, not Driselle, not anyone. But, at least you managed to protect an innocent being. You did a good job, Sandy."

As a sign of affection, Fir tenderly stroked Sandy's head. The horse seemed to be enjoying it, because he was quietly neighing over and over like a cat purring. Then, she began talking and comforting Sandy, who still seemed to be enjoying her strokes.

When Driselle finally arrived near the strokes, she heard some laughter and neighing, causing her to look into the stables and see Fir happily chatting with Sandy.

_'Come to think of it, I never seen Fir smile like that. I guess some people are like that,' _thought Driselle, smiling at the heart warming scene between two friends. She couldn't tell what they were talking about, but it must be really good, seeing the happy expressions on their faces.

Once Fir finished chatting with Sandy, she began to leave the stables when she encountered Driselle. "Oh, you were here? I guess you must have been worried about me, huh?"

"Yes. My brother told me I should always be by my friend's side, so here I am." Driselle's cheery look changed into a concerned one. "Are you okay?"

Fir nodded, looking over her shoulder to glance one more time at her horse. "Yeah, I'll be okay. I just said my goodbyes to Sandy."

"What do you mean by 'goodbye?'"

"I mean, Sandy's going to stay here, and I'll be traveling alone from now on."

"Huh?" That statement took Driselle aback. "Why? Isn't he your companion?"

"Yes, but because of his injuries, I can't take him anywhere. Also, because I've been putting him on risks too much. He's always being chased by monsters, or stuck someplace else, and it's always me bailing him out. Don't get the wrong idea, I'm not sick of him. In fact, I'll visit him time through time, but it's just that I don't want to endanger his life any further."

"...I understand," said Driselle sadly. "You want to protect your friend, don't you?"

"That's what sums it up. Nobody can ever replace an irreplacable friend like him. I already explained the situation to Sandy, and he was reluctant, but he agreed in the end."

"How about this?" suggested Driselle. "I'll help take care of him while he's gone! Sure, I might be busy most of the time, but it might be my way of thanks for you."

"That's not very necessary, but I would appreciate it," said Fir. "I'm sure Sandy would like some human company besides me."

"Hey, Fir? What's traveling like?" asked Driselle, a bit timidly. "I know it's dangerous, but I know it's a lot of fun too."

"...It's true, there are times when it's dangerous, but I just started traveling this year, so I'm not sure if it's 'fun.' I'll be traveling, but I could just send you a letter or two."

"Really?" Driselle's eyes sparkled with excitement. "Yes! I want to know what's going on in the real world!"

"C-calm down!" Fir wasn't very good with overexcited people like her. "I don't have or even need a Sylph Jay to send you letters. I could just send it to you through the mailbox."

"Yeah, but lots of my brother's mail is there, and contains important work, so I don't want to disturb his work," admitted Driselle. "Why not just give it to Rowen?"

"The old man with the creepy beard?"

"Er...yes, that old man with the creepy beard. You could just hand a letter to him, and he could just give it back to me."

"Alright." Turning around, Fir began walking away, waving a hand. "Well, I'll be leaving. Bye, Driselle."

"Bye!"

As Fir left and walked around the city, she began remembering the times she and Sandy spent time together as friends. One of the memorable memories she remembered was the day she met Sandy.

* * *

><p><em>Flashback, about 5 years ago... <em>

_"Grandpa! Grandpa! What did you want me to see?" a childish, little girl with short light brown hair that's wearing a green dress was following her Grandpa, who wanted to show her something._

_"Here, I wanted to show you my own horse. Meet...Sandy!" Opening the small farmhouse behind the wood cabin they lived in, Fir's Grandfather showed her a tall, mature, and sand-colored horse, proudly on all fours to present himself._

_"...His color's weird," said little Fir, shocking the horse, who had worked hard to look so galliant in front of the little girl his old master had told him about._

_Instead, Fir's Grandfather only chuckled at Fir's first impression of his horse. "That's because it's the color of sand. When I first met him when he was just a toddler, I named him Sandy."_

_"...That's a girl's name! You're weird, Grandpa." Running up in front of the much stronger horse, Fir pointed her finger at the horse and didn't hesitate to speak her mind._

_"You're a weird horsie! With that weird color and that weird name! I don't like you!"_

_The horse let out a small squeak sound from his throat, indicating he was more shocked that the little five year old thought of him like that! Pouting, Sandy let a small whimper before walking back into the stable and sulking in a corner, causing Fir's Grandfather to sweatdrop._

_'Wow, I've never seen Sandy this upset before. Guess honesty isn't always too good for you,' thought Fir's Grandfather. "Fir, maybe you could apologize to Sandy."_

_"Why? He's weird!"_

_"Yes, that may seem for now. But eventually, you may come to ignore his traits and accept him whole-heartedly. Come on now. If you do, I promise to make your favorite, non-spice curry for you tonight."_

_Fir's face lit up, eyes sparkling with joy. "Really?! Okay!" Running up to the still-depressed horse, Fir patted him on the head. "There, there, Sandy! Sorry if I hurt you! ...But you're still weird to me."_

_"Neigh! Neigh!" complained the horse, more depressed._

_"Well, this'll take a while," murmured Fir's Grandfather. _

* * *

><p>Skit: Spirit Practice<p>

"Let's take a break. Sandy looks like he could collapse any second," suggested Fir as soon as they were under some large trees. Driselle nodded, and together, both of them slowly placed Sandy on the ground as gently as possible.

"Whew! I never thought horses could be that heavy!" said Driselle, wiping away any sweat.

"I was surprised too," admitted Fir, kneeling down and concentrating on her small healing artes on her horse's wounds.

"Here, let me try. You should rest." Driselle sat next to Fir and placed her fragile hands on Sandy's wounds, a glowing, small light appearing from her hands. Fir stopped and allowed Driselle to take over.

"Hold on. That healing arte isn't very effective. I know because I have that arte."

Driselle released a sigh, shaking her head. "I know, but it's also the only healing arte I have. I can't really cast good artes, but I was able to learn this one. I'm sorry if I wasn't any use."

"No, I'm not saying you're bad or anything. To be honest, healing artes aren't my top priority either, but I only use them for emergencies. Nevertheless, I think you're doing a good job, but you might need a bit more practice."

"Yes, I suppose so. You too, Fir."

* * *

><p>Skit: Traditions<p>

"Alright, Driselle. I have a few things I have to tell you about Sandy," spoke up Fir.

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

"Well, for starters, he's a pervert."

Judging from Sandy's angry snort at Fir, she could guess that that was Sandy's way of saying, "TRAITOR!" to her.

"Um...what do you mean by that?" asked Driselle, staring at Sandy.

"My old man and Sandy known each other since Sandy was a small baby horse," Fir started to explain. "My dead old man grew up to be a little bit of a pervert interested in porn and stuff like that, and Sandy inherited that tradition."

"Uh..may I ask _how_ you even know that?"

"Easy. I caught my old man and Sandy reading porn or other perverted magazines like that in their room one time. The day when I burned all of them...man, you should have seen the look on their faces! Haha!' laughed Fir, satisfied.

Sandy let a small whimper, remembering the drastic and dramatic memory of that dreadful day. Yes, that day, that was the last he had seen from a porn magazine, but every time his old master tried to hide more, his new master, Fir, would always, SOMEHOW, find out and burn them all.

That was why, someday, somehow, he will exact revenge on the girl, even if it takes him years, even if he is his old master's granddaughter, he will-

"Sandy, I got some of your carrots here. Eat up!"

"Neigh!~"

* * *

><p><strong>Alright, finished with this chapter! I believe a few explanations are in order!<strong>

**First off, yes, Fir is 10 years old now, and if you read the chapter carefully, she has no one else to take care of her, and she's out traveling. Now, before any of you could say that she's too young, there are plenty of anime girl like her who travel her age! Take Kino's Journey for example! The main character is young, but she's very young.**

**Second, Fir had special training, taught by her Grandfather, so that's why she knows how to fight either by close range, or far range, but mostly just far range is more easier. If people are quick learners, they could grow up to be strong fighters.**

**Third, if you still aren't satisfied, I read a book about this big sister in high school, and she had this super smart little 7 year old sister who transferred to school with her, despite her age! Yes, this happened in a book in real life, and no, it wasn't fanfiction.**

**As for the sniper rifle, and where she got it, it will all be revealed soon. So, no flamming and no dislikes for this story, please! If you do dislike this story, then you don't have to read this. If you do like this, you can choose to continue reading.**

**With that said, read and review!~ Any ideas would be appreciated! **


End file.
